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Thread: Mud . . .

  1. #1
    Master
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    Mud . . .

    . . . or rather, the absence of it.

    It's December, but I can come back from a training run on my usual rural footpaths and not have to put my socks in a bucket of warm water to soak the mud off. I'm not sure what it's like further North; but here we had a wet September, with the paths becoming muddier than usual at that time of year, followed by a very dry October and November. Great conditions for running now, but how long until the water companies start warning us of dire consequences next Summer if we don't get plenty of rain before the Spring?
    In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
    Jorge Luis Borges

  2. #2
    Master PeteS's Avatar
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    Perhaps not as bad as some years but the footpaths and bridalways of Worcestershire are good and muddy now judging by the state of the dog on Sunday morning. Absolutely caked in it and straight in the bath when we got home.

  3. #3
    Master Travs's Avatar
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    About a week or so ago, I went over my local off-road area (no more than a mile square really, but pretty rough terrain), and I won't go back this side of spring without my mudclaws, it was unbelievably slippy and muddy!

    I did think the Cardington Cracker was pretty dry underfoot (in comparison to previous years... it was by no means a dry easy run, but I've seen it a lot worse...)

  4. #4
    Master Witton Park's Avatar
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    I went out watching the Tour of Pendle a couple of weeks ago. Saw plenty of mud up there

    Marl Pits XC was quite muddy as usual on Saturday and running around Witton in the last week I've seen plenty of the stuff as well.

    About what you would expect I'd say.
    Richard Taylor
    "William Tell could take an apple off your head. Taylor could take out a processed pea."
    Sid Waddell

  5. #5
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    Can confirm that the dark peak area is really rather muddy, i.e. situation normal. I remain amazed at the capacity of my victorian drains to cope with the daily influx of mud and peat.

  6. #6
    Master ba-ba's Avatar
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    The Peak may be muddy, but I went and did a session around the Endcliffe Park swamp in Sheffield yesterday and had no mud spatter up my back. More soft going than pure mud. Normally it's a snorkel job by mid-October!
    Nic Barber. Downhill Dandy

  7. #7
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    Ah Sheffield, the "dry side" of the peak.

  8. #8
    Master
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    There has been just the right amount of rain/snow, followed by some dry weather, for the soil to attain a sticky, slippery consistency in the fields on the way back from Beacon Hill (the public footpath goes across the middle of several arable fields). Extra weight stuck on the sides of my shoes, and reduced grip on the soles.

    However, other parts of the country have it much worse. During my three years at Cambridge, I only once went out on a training run with the Cambridge University Hare & Hounds. Their route included a path across the middle of a ploughed field. I ground to a halt due to the sheer weight of clay soil stuck to my shoes. The rest of them carried on running across the field; obviously running with extra weight attached to the feet was part of their regular training regime.
    In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
    Jorge Luis Borges

  9. #9
    Master
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    The big squelch has arrived!
    In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
    Jorge Luis Borges

  10. #10
    Master Travs's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by anthonykay View Post
    The big squelch has arrived!
    I am looking at the Peak District conditions for the Trigger race in a couple of weeks with a great deal of trepidation. Hoping for it to be as cold as possible, so that the bogs are frozen over. The last one was "warm" (I use the term loosely, ie it was above about -5c and not frozen over) so every 10 yards included a yard straight down to your knees in mud. Not to mention the generous covering of snow. Or the zero visibility...

    the previous year, which at the time was horribly cold, was actually on the face of it more preferable...

    Hoping for a bit more mud for the remainder of the cross country season though. The early season races I've done have been far too easy and fast-paced for a clogger like me. Only the last race at Trentham had some "classic" xc conditions.
    Last edited by Travs; 30-12-2017 at 10:17 PM.

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